Víctor Francos, president of the CSD: "Football needs a more direct democracy, not an interposed one"

The Rubiales case is not just a matter of the football sewers. He found the Government in office and with a changed foot, after not having previously stopped a leader who was a cluster bomb. And to its highest representative in sports, recently arrived at a position that took office one month before the elections.. Víctor Francos (Barcelona, 1979) took office in the Higher Sports Council (CSD), on June 16, without the certainty of continuity. Pending the formation of a Government, it still does not have it, but the pressure and intensity caused by Luis Rubiales' kiss to Jenni Hermoso is worth several legislatures. The case has not ended with the resignation of the president of the Federation, because the Government wants to go further and put an end to a systemic problem, which already occurred in the Villar era and has continued in the short period of Rubiales.

First we have to close the Rubiales case and then try to prevent it from happening again.. What are the formulas? The first, in the short term, is in the hands of the Federation. You can call elections with the same Assembly and exhaust the mandate or ask the CSD for an advance to the first half of 2024 and face this electoral process with the renewed Assembly. The Government is in favor of the second, we believe it is more convenient, so if you ask us for that advance, we will grant it. The members of the current Assembly are those who elected Rubiales and those who are currently there. But the problem will continue to appear in the election of the members of the Assembly. There appears the second, deeper. It has to do with the preparation of the Electoral Order that regulates the election process of those 140 members of the Assembly. Football needs a more direct democracy, not an intervening one, like the current one, in which representatives of groups are appointed and one ends up not knowing very well who they have chosen.. This would not only involve football, but also the rest of the federations. And even more in the long term, there are other things that we want to raise.Continue.We have to reflect on what has happened, because it has been serious not only for football, but also for the Government, for the country. Sometimes these cases are an opportunity to change things and we should not waste them.. I believe that a Government cannot be, faced with a situation like the one that has happened, at the mercy of the TAD [Administrative Court of Sports] or FIFA. You have to have instruments to be able to find solutions and intervene and not collapse.. But this reflection, as I said, must be taken within a framework of consensus and the moment will have to be sought after the Cortes are formed, because a modification of the Sports Law would be necessary. Well, the new one was approved months ago , and after a bitter debate, with numerous amendments. On the other hand, no one proposed changes with respect to the federations, as you now suggest. The reality is that until you reach the precipice, you do not feel the vertigo. Now we have felt it and it can't happen to us again.. I think there may be a certain political consensus in that. It is difficult to believe that the football war is over.. The candidatures for Rubiales' position could activate them again. Honestly, I believe that after what has happened and the position that society and the Government have taken with respect to football, it is going to be difficult to maintain certain positions that were previously tolerated. Did Rubiales or anyone around him warn you about his resignation? No. I found out about a quarter to ten on Sunday night, like most Spaniards.. The last day I spoke with him was August 24, before the Assembly, and he told me that he was going to talk about the measures to be taken regarding women's football.. He didn't tell me that he was going to resign or not to resign, nothing.. I have not done it again. You entered the CSD when many complaints had already arrived against Rubiales. Why didn't the Government act sooner? Once in the CSD, I ordered a review of all the actions that were carried out. The complaints that could have been processed were already prosecuted, and the rest were proceeded correctly. The world champions still maintain their support for the national team. Can the Government do something? They have my phone number for whatever they want and it can be of help, but these issues, which also involve technical aspects, correspond to the Federation.